Karnataka HC extends status of PIL against AoL

The high court on Friday extended, until further orders, the status quo of the petition seeking a direction to demolish illegal structures on the water spread area of Udipalyakere at Kaggalipura in Bangalore South.

These structures were alleged to have been raised by the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living (AoL) ashram, according to a public interest litigation filed by city advocate N Sriram Reddy.

He alleged that the AoL Foundation had encroached on the land belonging to the lake in survey number 46.

The Supreme Court had ruled that lake bodies cannot be used for any purpose other than irrigation. The foundation raised buildings on the land without permission from the authorities, the petitioner said.

He said the department of irrigation, too, did not take any action although it was their duty to demolish illegal structures that come up on lake bodies.

During the previous hearing too, the high court had ordered a status quo.